Filler-siphon assembly for a water bed

ABSTRACT

A filler-siphon assembly for a water bed includes an adapter body bonded to the mattress and extending through an opening therein. A hose connecting nipple and clamp nut thread into the adapter body to fill the bed, and cooperate with a notch-ended dip tube inserted through the adapter body into the mattress interior to empty the bed. A plug is tool-inserted into the adapter body to seal the water bed when filled.

United States Patent [191 Mollura F ILLER-SIPHON ASSEMBLY FOR A WATER BED [76] Inventor: Carlos A. Mollura, 2824 Del Oro Ln., Fullerton, Calif. 92632 22 Filed: Aug. 9, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 170,216

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3.736.604 6/1973 Carson 5/348 WB 3,574,873 4/1971 Weinstein 5/348 WB 2.423.890 7/1947 Hurt 141/313 X 2.771.913 11/1956 Flasnocker 141/374 X 3.590.888 7/1971 Coleman 141/313 X 1,163,992 12/1915 Ford 141/326 X 1.433.662 10/1922 Small 141/368 Mar. 19, 1.974

3,605,508 9/1971 Fell 81/71 X 2,489,035 11/1949 Jones 141/368 X 3.600.726 8/1971 Williams 5/348 WB 3.456,270 7/1969 Weinstein... 5/348 WB 3.585.356 6/1971 Hall 219/217 3.600.727 8/1971 Williams 5/348 WB 1.306.787 6/1919 Stevenson 4/295 X 1.752.808 4/1930 Reach 4/286 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 2/1961 Italy 141/374 Primary E.raminerWayne A. Morse, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Flam and Flam 57 ABSTRACT A filler-siphon assembly for a water bed includes an adapter body bonded to the mattress and extending through an opening therein. A hose connecting nipple and clamp nut thread into the adapter body to fill the bed, and cooperate with anotch-ended dip tube inserted through the adapter body into the mattress interior to empty the bed. A plug is tool-inserted into the adapter body to seal the water bed when filled.

3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures FILLER-SIPHON ASSEMBLY FOR A WATER BED BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an assembly for filling and emptying a water bed.

2. Description of the Prior Art Water beds have gained widespread popularity by providing pleasurable, resilient support for the user. Typically, a water bed comprises a hollow mattress of vinyl or other plastic which can be filled with water through an appropriate orifice.

To facilitate filling of the mattress, provision must be made for connection to a water hose. Permanent attachment of a conventional hose coupling to the mattress is undesirable. Such a coupling would project above the mattress surface and could cause discomfort or injury should the user accidentally roll onto the fitting. Similarly, the plug used to seal the water filled mattress should not project above the mattress surface, and must be leak proof.

When the water bed is to be emptied, the hose again must be connected to permit siphoning out of the water. If the filling orifice is situated at the mattress top, a dip tube may be provided to assure complete emptying of the bed. Provision should be made to prevent blockage of the dip tube by the lower mattress skin layer.

In the past, there has been no acceptable hardware available for filling, plugging and emptying a water bed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a water bed filler-siphon assembly having all the desirable characteristics just noted.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To accomplish the foregoing objective, the inventive filler-siphon assembly for a water bed includes an adapter body which is heat sealed to an opening in the mattress. A hose connecting nipple and clamp nut thread into the adapter body to facilitate filling of the mattress from a water supply hose. When the water bed has been filled, the nipple is removed from the adapter body and a plug is inserted therein using a removable insertion tool. With the tool removed, no part of the plug projects above the mattress surface.

To empty the water bed, the plug is removed and a dip tube inserted into the mattress interior through the adapter body. The same nipple and clamp nut serve to secure the dip tube in place and provide connection to the discharge hose.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A detailed description of the invention will be made with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are to scale.

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a water bed mattress provided with a filler-siphon assembly in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view, as seen generally along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1, showing the recessed plug in place in the adapter body; the plug insertion tool is shown in phantom.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top plan view of the adapter body and plug as seen. generally along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view, partly broken away and in section, of the hose connecting nipple and clamp nut assembled for filling the water bed.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view, partly broken away and in section, of the filler-siphon assembly configured for emptying the water bed with the use of a dip tube.

FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the dip tube of FIG. 5, as seen generally along the line 66 thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The following detailed description is of the best presently contemplated mode of carrying out the invention. This description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention best is defined by the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 thereof, there is shown a water bed 10 incorporating the inventive filler-siphon assembly, herein generally designated assembly 11. The water bed 10 includes a hollow mattress 12 preferably fabricated of vinyl or like plastic material. Heat-sealed or otherwise bonded to an opening 13 in the mattress 12 is an adapter body 14 which receives the other components of the assembly 11.

The adapter body 14 includes an interiorly threaded cylindrical portion 14a which projects into the interior 15 of the bed It}. An outwardly extending flange 14b at one end of the adapter body 14 overlaps the mattress upper layer 12a to provide a bonding or heat sealing interface 16. At the other end of the adapter body 14 is an interior, annular shoulder 14c surrounding an orifice 17 through which the mattress 12 may be filled or emptied.

Escape of water from the mattress 12 is prevented by the use of an exteriorly threaded, cylindrical plug 18 which may be inserted into or removed from the adapter body 14 using a tool 19 having a handle 19a. A resilient, annular washer 20 seats between the plug 18 and the shoulder to insure leakproof assembly. Preferably, the overall length of the plug 18 is less than that of the adapter body threaded portion 14a. Thus when the plug 1% is completely inserted as shown in FIGS. I and 2, the generally flat plug upper end 18a will be flush with or recessed below the surface of the flange Mb. Such a projection-free plug arrangement prevents injury to the bed user. The plug end 18a is provided with a hexagonal counterbore 18b which receives the like-shaped shaft 19a of the tool 19. After the plug 18 has been threaded into the adapter body 14, the tool 19 is removed to provide the flush assembly shown in FIG. 1.

To fill the water bed It), the plug 18 is removed and in its place the threaded end 22a of a hose connecting nipple 22 is screwed into the adapter body PA, as shown in FIG. 4. The other nipple end 22b is flanged to retain an interiorly threaded knurled clamp nut 23 dimensioned to receive the threaded coupling 24 of a water supply hose 25. An annular washer 26 seats between the hose coupling 24 and the nipple end 22b to insure leak-proof connection. With this arrangement, direct fluid communication is provided from the supply hose 25 through the nipple 22 and the orifice 17 in the adapter body 14 into the mattress interior 15.

To empty the water bed It), the filler-siphon assembly 11 includes a dip tube 27 (FIGS. 5 and 6) having an outer diameter slightly less than the diameter of the orifice 17. This permits the dip tube end 27a to be inserted through the adapter body 14 into the mattress interior 15. A flange 27b at the other end of the dip tube 27 rests against the washer 20 supported by the adapter body shoulder 14c. The hose connecting nipple 22 then is inserted into the adapter body 14 to retain the dip tube 27 in place and to provide fluid communication to the hose 25 attached by the clamp nut 23 and now used to siphon water out of the bed 10.

A pair of diametrically opposed, semicircular notches 27c are provided at the dip tube end 27a. During emptying of the water bed the mattress lower layer 12b may block the dip tube end 27a, as shown in phantom in FIG. 5. Should this occur, the notches 27c provide an unblocked fluid path from the mattress interior to the interior of the dip tube 27, and thence through the nipple 22 to the discharge hose 25. Complete, unimpeded emptying of the water bed 10 is achieved.

Thus the filler-siphon assembly 11 provides a simple apparatus for filling, emptying and plugging a water bed. The assembly 11 is inexpensively fabricated of plastic, requires only a single bonding or heat sealing operation for attachment to the water bed mattress, and is uncomplicated yet effective in use.

Intending to claim all novel, useful and unobvious features shown or described, the applicant claims:

1. In combination with a hollw, -plastic water bed mattress,

an adapter body having a cylindrical, internally threaded nipple receiving portion extending through an opening in said mattress, said threaded body portion having at one end a radially outwardly extending flange bonded to theregion of said mattress surrounding said opening, said threaded body portion having at the other end a radially inwardly extending shoulder surrounding an orifice for filling and emptying said mattress,

a threaded, cylindrical plug adapted for insertion into and removal from said receiving portion, the length of said plug being less than the length of said threaded body portion, so that when inserted the plug will be recessed below the level of said radially outwardly extending flange,

a hose connecting nipple threaded at one end, said one end being adapted for threaded insertion into the receiving portion of said plug, the other end of said nipple having a radially outwardly extending flange,

a cylindrical, internally threaded clamp nut for connecting said nipple to a water supply hose, said clamp nut having a radially inwardly extending fastening flange at one end, said clamp nut being slidable over said nipple so that the fastening flange clamps the flange of said nipple against the end of said hose when the clamp nut is threaded to said hose, and

a cylindrical dip tube having an outer diameter slightly less than the diameter of said adapter body orifice, and having at one end a radially outwardly extending flange the outer diameter of which is slightly less than the inner diameter of the threaded body portion of said adapter, said dip tube being adapted to be inserted through said orifice into the mattress interior, said dip tube being secured in place by subsequent threaded insertion of said nipple into said receiving portion so as to clamp the radially outwardly extending flange of said dip tube between the end of said nipple and the radially inwardly extending shoulder of said adapter body, the end of said dip tube being shorter than the filled interior thickness of said mattress.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein one or more fluid communicating passageways are provided through the side walls of said dip tube.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein an end of said plug is geometrically recessed, and an insertion tool having a shaft of like geometric shape. 

1. In combination with a hollw, plastic water bed mattress, an adapter body having a cylindrical, internally threaded nipple receiving portion extending through an opening in said mattress, said threaded body portion having at one end a radially outwardly extending flange bonded to the region of said mattress surrounding said opening, said threaded body portion having at the other end a radially inwardly extending shoulder surrounding an orifice for filling and emptying said mattress, a threaded, cylindrical plug adapted for insertion into and removal from said receiving portion, the length of said plug being less than the length of said threaded body portion, so that when inserted the plug will be recessed below the level of said radially outwardly extending flange, a hose connecting nipple threaded at one end, said one end being adapted for threaded insertion into the receiving portion of said plug, the other end of said nipple having a radially outwardly extending flange, a cylindrical, internally threaded clamp nut for connecting said nipple to a water supply hose, said clamp nut having a radially inwardly extending fastening flange at one end, said clamp nut being slidable over said nipple so that the fastening flange clamps the flange of said nipple against the end of said hose when the clamp nut is threaded to said hose, and a cylindrical dip tube having an outer diameter slightly less than the diameter of said adapter body orifice, and having at one end a radially outwardly extending flange the outer diameter of which is slightly less than the inner diameter of the threaded body portion of said adapter, said dip tube being adapted to be inserted through said orifice into the mattress interior, said dip tube being secured in place by subsequent threaded insertion of said nipple into said receiving portion so as to clamp the radially outwardly extending flange of said dip tube between the end of said nipple and the radially inwardly extending shoulder of said adapter body, the end of said dip tube being shorter than the filled interior thickness of said mattress.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein one or more fluid communicating passageways are provided through the side walls of said dip tube.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein an end of said plug is geometrically recessed, and an insertion tool having a shaft of like geometric shape. 